


A Preference for Nettles

by lotus_eater_aberrant_creature



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), How Do I Tag, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24108334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotus_eater_aberrant_creature/pseuds/lotus_eater_aberrant_creature
Summary: Andrew is a barista and Neil is a florist that works across the street.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	A Preference for Nettles

One day—just one day—Andrew will deck a customer from behind this counter and he will relish the short but sweet, sweet moment of satisfaction before his boss can sack him. 

But rent is due. So today…today is not that day. 

“Excuse me,” a woman juts her takeaway cup in Andrew’s face, ring-clad pinky raised. “I asked for this at 180 degrees. This is cold.” 

He really wished today was that day. 

Andrew takes the cup, sticks it under the steamer wand and blasts it. He waits for the cup to burn his hand before handing it back to the woman. He gives her a gummy smile. “Hot enough?” 

The woman looks as if he’d just given her a cup of his piss. Her tacky fuchsia lipstick smeared butthole lips gave a weird floundered shape. “H-how, how dare you! What kind of customer service—” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa” Nicky swoops in with a theatrical slide, still tying his apron back on. He’d finished his break with immaculate timing. “I’m so sorry about that ma’am,” he says in that god awful customer-service voice and smile, “Let me get you a new one right away.” 

The woman ignores Nicky in favour of pointing a fat finger at Andrew, scowling. “You will lose business with a tone like that, young man. No wonder this place is empty.” With a dramatic huff, she heads back her seat, obviously expecting some kind of table service now that she’s gone and complained. 

Nicky gets the drink going, but not before he can heave his cousin the biggest sigh of sighs. “Please, for the love of sweet baby Jesus, could you try and keep this job, Drew?” 

Andrew shrugs and starts making himself his own drink that involved a blender, four shots of espresso and a chocolate brownie. Not like anyone will be using it. Most of this shit goes to waste anyway. If the woman was right about anything, it was that the Foxhole cafe was always empty. Andrew has probably caught more flies with his bare hands than this place has caught customers. The fact that they were still able to pay the bills with such bad business was a downright miracle. 

“Hey, I mean it,” Nicky says, mistaking Andrew’s airy nonchalance. “I can’t always cover up your shit you know. Wymack is already breathing down my neck as it is about hiring another person to pay, so would it seriously kill your pride so much to just not be a dick sometimes?” 

“Bees don’t sting unless you mess with their hive.” 

“Don’t go throwing idioms at me, smart-ass.” Nicky tries for the parental-tone, but honestly, Andrew couldn’t take him seriously in an apron. 

Nicky had been the one to convince his boss to hire him for the sake of actually being about to afford a shitty 4x4 apartment space downtown. But he hadn’t asked for him to do it. He knew beggars can’t be choosers, but days like today made him want to try his luck back in the streets. The only reason he wasn’t was…well, rent…and then there’s…

Nicky finishes off lipstick woman’s drink, but something seemed to catch his eye out the window, because he pauses to wiggle his eyebrows. “Well, would you look who’s on shift.” 

Andrew didn’t have to look. He knew the flower boy was there, arranging tiger lilies and roses and baby’s breath or whatever in the flower shop directly opposite them. He’d been checking every hour to see if he was working today and finally the blue-eyed boy appeared. 

Andrew hated that he checked every hour. Hated that sometimes, sometimes, he didn’t mind coming into work just to see the stranger arrange wreaths and bouquets everyday. Long sleeves rolled up, auburn hair tied in a man bun. Hated that his mood relied on the presence of this weird, beautiful, stranger. 

“Ugh, he’s prettier than the flowers. Talk about eye-candy,” Nicky swoons. 

“I think Cranky Karen is getting impatient. Might want to hurry.” 

“Whatever. What are the chances he’s gay? Slim, right? Or no?” 

Andrew all but throws his espresso-brownie concoction into a take-out cup and jams a straw inside. “I’m going on my break,” he declares as he skirts around the counter to leave. His temptation to spit in lipstick woman’s coffee is ruled out once Nicky seals her drink with a lid. 

“Say hi to him for me!” Nicky coos, smilingly knowingly. Like Hell he would. Andrew tosses his apron at his cousin and flips him the bird, swiftly exiting the cafe. He digs for his pack but—wait, he shouldn’t have a cigarette yet. It’ll reek. Not that he’ll be going anywhere near him but—ah shit. He leaves it for now and makes do with the brownie espresso to curb his craving. 

He’s not nervous. Not exactly. He’s done this too many times to still be nervous about it. Andrew slips out his phone for no particular reason as he crosses the road, towards the flower shop. The sun is in full blast today, with a beautiful clear sky, but alas, it’s deceitful. The wind blew harsh, icy currents, the chill making Andrew curse himself for being a numbskull and not grabbing his jacket. 

He dawdles outside the shop, stealing glances at the flower boy through the glass. The boy had lost the jacket he’d worn when Andrew first saw him enter the store. Now he sports a long sleeve beige thermal and a navy apron with leather straps. Business seems slow here too. But flower boy keeps busy trimming the leaves and stems off roses to fit through the wreath. His focus makes his brows furrow and if Andrew stares a bit too long and hard at the perfect panes of his face, at the rough edges of some interesting scars that lined his jaw, well then no one can tell him off for it.

“Oh, hello.” Andrew whirls so quick at the voice he nearly spills his coffee and drops his phone. A girl blinks at him, her platinum hair with pastel ends cut short and precisely to her chin. She seems harmless, but Andrew knows better than to underestimate a woman. Even one with a kind smile on her lips and a soft gaze. “Are you interested in a commission?” 

Under normal circumstances, Andrew would’ve ignored her and turned the other direction. But now the flower boy was watching and him—shit—“No. Just…” he jutted his cup towards the collection of flowers outside the store, “Looking.” Shit, shit, shit, flower boy was definitely watching now. 

The girl notices his take-out cup. “Oh, Foxhole cafe. I thought I’d seen you before. You work across the street, right? You’re not Nicky, so I assume…Andrew, right?” Her voice has a honeyed quality that immediately made Andrew wary and uncomfortable. 

He can hear Nicky’s words in his ears. Don’t be a dick. “Yeah,” he says, then after a pause. “We make good coffee.” 

The girl’s smile practically radiates light, but she’s already making her way inside the shop. “Oh goodie! We’ll be sure to visit sometime.” Andrew can only nod at that. 

And then flower boy is at the door next to her. Andrew had never seen him so up-close. “Renee, Penelope called about the bouquet.” 

“Ah shoot, got it.” She rushes inside, leaving Andrew to stare at the flower boy who…oh God, he’s staring back. 

He’s not sure if the boy’s tiny, minuscule smile is a greeting or something to fill the awkwardness but he just can’t stop staring. “Hey,” says flower boy. 

Andrew lifts his cup in greeting and turns on his heel. 

“Wait,” Flower boy calls out. “What time do you open?” 

Andrew chewed at his lip. “Seven,” he answers, not turning. 

“Ok…Cool.” 

Andrew reminds himself to swap his evening shift for Nicky’s morning shift tomorrow...Just in case.


End file.
